episode_0002

Although they had mentioned that the male lead was waiting, Manuela and the maids did not easily release Eleonore from their grasp.

Brushing her thick, golden hair meticulously until it was neatly arranged, over and over again.

Dressing her in a white blouse adorned with airy lace and a light blue high-waisted long skirt.

Only after smearing her damp face with something sticky and fragrant did Eleonore finally escape from the maids’ touch.

Only then could Eleonore break free from the maids’ hands.

In reality, Eleonore hardly did anything herself.

For someone who had lived as a man for twenty-one years, even that alone made her feel dizzy.

Do I have to do this every morning for the rest of my life?

Quietly exhaling in case Manuela, who was walking ahead, might hear, Eleonore murmured to herself.

In the long corridor bathed in warm late spring sunlight, the sound of two pairs of shoes echoed side by side.

Following behind Manuela, Eleonore eagerly took in every nook and cranny of the mansion, which still felt unfamiliar and awkward to her.

The first week was spent lying on the bed all day.

The following week, she walked around surrounded by Manuela and the maids.

Thanks to them, Beaurengard’s grand townhouse remained a mysterious place to Eleonore.

She had never been upstairs where her room was located in the mansion.

She had never stepped on the green grass reflected in the large windows.

If it were an Eastern-style building, she might have been more familiar with it.

It’s not a French folk village. What is this!

Gazing at the ornate objects neatly placed in the corridor, Eleonore grumbled inwardly.

Passing through the long corridor, down the grand staircase, Eleonore entered the first-floor dining room, filled with the scent of freshly baked bread.

“Good morning, Elli.”

With a smile as bright as the aroma of fresh bread, a man sitting at the table greeted Eleonore warmly.

Turning her head to look at the man, she saw a man with hair even darker than the girl in the mirror.

Dark yellow hair and deep blue eyes, similar to Eleonore but with an overall intense impression.

Smiling coolly, the man, Eleonore’s brother and Beaurengard’s heir Albrice Beaurengard, extended his greetings.

“… Good morning.”

Though the smile felt burdensome.

Eleonore replied, brushing aside the hair tickling her ear.

Albrice nodded gracefully, his long golden eyebrows forming a gentle arch.

With his refreshing smile, any ordinary woman would have surely felt her heart skip a beat.

Perhaps because the maids beyond the arched doorway of the dining hall were whispering and glancing in their direction. That must be it.

However, Eleonore was not an ordinary woman.

Moreover, even if Seojuha had been a woman in her original world, the man in front of her and Eleonore were siblings.

Swallowing the dreadful title that always had to be added at the end, Eleonore said coldly, swallowing hard.

“I apologize for being late. You must have waited a lot.”

Passing by Albrice, Eleonore approached the chair Manuela had pulled out for her and took her seat.

As Eleonore sat down, Albrice also folded the newspaper he had been reading and carefully placed it on the table.

“No, it’s fine. Just being able to have breakfast together makes me happy.”

What’s with that eerie accent?

She almost blurted out harsh words in a moment.

Covering her mouth with the cup on the table, Eleanor stared at Albrice with widened eyes.

Albrice, even after experiencing the past two weeks, don’t you still understand?

Do you think I would easily accept those words just because you say so?

“Yes. I’m glad to be with you.”

Though her voice was as chilling as a winter sea breeze, Albrice only gripped the silver cutlery laid out in front of him with a smile.

But…

Isn’t the relationship between siblings supposed to be full of rivalry and conflict, not like this? Shouldn’t we fight each other to the death?

Why is he really like that?

During the past two weeks spent at the Beaurengar mansion, Eleanor’s dining experience had been splendid by Serjuha’s standards and equally delicious.

Regardless of anything else, what captivated Eleanor was the presence of succulent beef, rich with savory aroma, served at every meal.

The bento box filled with meat she had missed out on in her past life was now a distant memory.

While she had only sipped soup during her initial awakening, which was a form of gastronomy in itself, her quality of life had significantly improved once she started eating regular meals.

However, despite the lavish and tasty spread before her, Eleanor couldn’t simply inhale the food placed in front of her.

With a wistful gaze, Eleanor set down the fork in her hand.

Understandably, the amount she consumed was quite extraordinary, even compared to the ostentatious meals of her female colleagues who put on airs.

Of course, this morning was no different.

On top of freshly baked soft white bread slathered with savory butter lay ham and cheese.

Just a couple of pieces of juicy roasted beef were enough to push Eleanor’s stomach to its limit.

Mentally, she was clearly lacking.

If it had been Serjuha instead of Eleanor, he would have devoured the plate of roasted beef and probably gone for seconds or thirds.

However, her body couldn’t keep up.

Once again this morning, Eleanor sadly bid farewell to the plate full of roasted beef.

“Eli, you should decide soon.”

As Eleanor and the roasted beef shared a sorrowful parting, Albrice elegantly wiped his lips with a napkin and looked at Eleanor.

“What about?”

“Your partner. The Debutante Martial Ball.”

Pointing behind him, Albrice, unlike before, wore a somewhat displeased expression.

Then, a servant who had been tidying up the table approached and handed Eleanor a tray.

On the silver tray filled with various envelopes, the mingled scents of perfumes made one’s head spin.

Furrowing her neatly groomed golden eyebrows, Eleanor looked at Albrice.

She seemed to be asking with her expression, “What is this?”

“They’re all letters for you. Offering to escort you to the ball.”

Albrice replied, looking at the stacked envelopes as if they were repulsive bugs.

He then lifted a newspaper from the table, revealing a simple white envelope beneath the gray paper.

Albris pushed the white envelope toward Eleanor as if touching something dirty, using only the tips of her nails.

“And here, this too. Eleanor, a letter from the Marquis of Vallati that you’ve been so eager for.”

Wait, what did you just say? Es…cort? For me?

Though feeling dizzy, Eleanor firmly grasped her senses and asked Albris.

“Marquis of Vallati?”

“Yes. That Julian de la Vallati. The Emperor’s filthy bastard offsp-”

“Cough.”

Albris swallowed the last word at Manuella’s fake cough.

“Anyway, since you were singing about that Vallati whatever Marquis, a letter has arrived for you. Read it carefully and choose.”

Eleanor stared intensely at the letters on the table.

Yes, different worlds have their customs; she was prepared for debutante balls and soirées.

Escoort, though? Wearing a ridiculous dress, holding a man’s hand, is that what they mean?

“Um…”

With Eleanor’s serious tone, Albris also responded firmly.

“Oh. Ra. Verni.”

“Milady, I-”

“Hush! Oh! Ra! Verni!”

Taking a deep breath, Albris cut Eleanor off.

A determined air emanated from Albris’ face, indicating that she must hear those words today.

Eleanor sighed deeply.

Even if she had to hear the term “Ra Verni,” there was no way around it.

Oh, but it was regrettable for Eleanor.

“Oh…. Ra…. Verni.”

Only then did Albris smile broadly and nod her head up and down.

“Alright, Eli.”

Since she was called Ra Verni, might as well go with it.

Mixing a nasal tone in her voice, blinking her large eyes, Eleanor looked at Albris.

“I’ve barely gotten out of bed this morning, and I’m still not feeling well… Can’t we just skip it this year?”

Despite Eleanor’s plea, Albris shook her head.

“Eli, I wish I could do that too. But this year, all eyes are on you. Plus, Her Majesty the Empress has high expectations. Honestly, why would an old fox like her care about a young girl dating-”

“Cough.”

“…The Empress is quite interested in it. Ugh, really. What does an old hag care about a young one dating-”

As Eleanor started to grumble about the unnecessary details, Albris interrupted her.

“Well then, go in alone! You can go in by yourself.”

As Albris’ expression began to stiffen rapidly, the grand hall where they sat froze quickly.

“Eleanor Arène de Beaurain. Are you serious about what you just said? Are you, the precious youngest daughter of Beaurnaga, the guardian of the Western Empire, going to enter alone without any escort?”

In the midst of the significantly lowered temperature, Albris’ intense voice filled the grand hall from the floor up.

Startled by Albris’ sudden change in attitude, Eleanor shrank back, her delicate blouse sleeve lightly brushing against the cutlery on the napkin.

Then, the sharp sound of the fork hitting the plate sliced through the space between Albris and Eleanor.

Despite being blood relatives, Albris and Eleanor had been at odds for the past two weeks.

During those two short weeks, Eleanor had seen various sides of Albriss and had thought about it.

He showed a warm and cheerful personality.

Because of that, she had refrained from using the word “brother” until now.

However, seeing Albriss angry like this…

Eleanor, taken aback, could only roll her large sky-blue eyes around.

“T-then…”

In the heavy atmosphere, Eleanor softly spoke, glancing at her brother.

“And then?”

Under his piercing intense blue gaze that seemed to see right through her,

Eleanor tightly shut her big eyes, mustered up her courage, and finally blurted out,

“Then I’ll go with you and Brother Albriss!”